Idris Ahmed, Kaduna.
Kaduna State Government said it has declared a state of emergency in the Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector, to enable it build on the success of the SHAWN II programme and accelerate the attain the national goal to make Nigeria Open Defecation Free (ODF) by the year 2025.
With funding from UNICEF, the state’s Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) rehabilitated 110 boreholes across Kaduna State in 2019. By May 2020, RUWASSA also rehabilitated another 216 boreholes in various communities across the state.
According to Muyiwa Adeleye , Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication, local artisans were trained and provided with tool kits to assure future repairs of the boreholes, enhance community participation and ownership as well as the sustainability of the installations.
He said significant progress is being recorded in ridding the state of open defecation. Jaba Local Government Area has validated by UNICEF as having attained ODF status. As at May 2020, 2,269 communities in the state have attained UNICEF ODF status, achieved through the implementation of relevant WASH projects and consistent sensitisation of communities, steps are being taken to achieve statewide ODF status across the 23 local government areas.
The state government places priority on the provision of clean and safe water and promotion of basic hygiene, which are central to delivering quality healthcare and life expectancy important to human development indices , water and sanitation are very critical in preventing killer diseases like cholera, Lassa fever and typhoid, as well as Covid-19.
During the emergency period in the WASH sector, the Kaduna State Government will continue to invest in the human and material resources to eliminate open defecation and UNICEF has been a very supportive ally.
KDSG notes with gratitude the immense work UNICEF has been doing to help the state attain ODF status as Kaduna State looks forward to building on the gains of the SHAWN II programme and attaining a vital sustainable development goal.
